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Old 12-12-2009, 11:14 AM   #1  
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Red face Christmas Loss

Can I really lose weight over the holiday?

At first I thought "It's alright. I'll just maintain. It'll be great, and I can start up again when I get back to college."

Now I'm thinking "I have a WHOLE MONTH off for this break. That could be a whole 'nother 8lbs lost upon my return! What a waste of a month it would be to just struggle to maintain...."

I definitely am NOT going allow myself to gain. I know better than that, because I KNOW how hard it was to drop that 5lbs in the first place!

But...can I lose? Really?

Is anyone else planning to drop weight and not just maintain it over this holiday?

I struggle losing when I go home because my family are all overeaters and my sister is even a binger. That coupled with the fact that I no longer have access to my 24hr college fit lab, or a track, or even a basic weight set...makes things even more of a challenge. My siblings have agreed to play basketball with me someday over the month span, and my brother has a gazelle he'd let me borrow. But my usually 7-day-a-week workouts will definitely decrease to 3-5days, and they just WON'T be as intense.

I know I can do ANYTHING if I TRY to...but I don't want to make this my goal only to miss it. Because then I will feel like a failure. And failing, in the past, is what drove me to quit.

Thanks, everyone, for listening to my rambles! Gain, maintain, or loss...I wish you all a happy holiday!
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Old 12-12-2009, 11:25 AM   #2  
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The sure way not to fail is to determine to succeed! Of course it's doable - if you decide to - and then of course see it through. You MUST decide which it is you want MORE - those foods, that will be there next year and plenty of times before that, or the weight loss. Plan. Plan. And then plan some more and it shall be done.

This isn't everyone's way of thinking, but I chose to stay on plan through the holidays, birthdays and what not during the losing portion of my journey - and having made that choice to STAY on plan - I lost weight - and felt great. Didn't feel deprived one bit. Not a bit. I was feeling so marvelous already heading down in weight, I didn't want ANYTHING to interfere. ANYTHING. I just wasn't all that interested in eating off plan. The only thing that mattered *to me* was getting healthy and getting the weight off. But we all have different circumstances (I being WAY heavier than you were) and different ways of approaching things.
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Old 12-12-2009, 11:52 AM   #3  
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I agree with rockinrobin. Why quit following your plan and then have to restart? It's just as easy to stay with your plan, and try to fit in the holiday goodies into it.

It can be done--I started my weight loss at the end of November in 2006, went through all the holidays right up to and including the 4th of July. My calorie intake did go up over the Christmas week, but the thing is, you have to think long term, and you have to keep tracking food and seeing where you're at. At that time, I only weighed about once or twice a week, which turned out to be a blessing because my weight would stall or drop only a little.

And the other reason to stay with it over the holidays is that you'll have to be aware of what you eat from now on--so this is good practice.

Jay
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Old 12-12-2009, 12:35 PM   #4  
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I plan on losing. But I will allow more "treats" like waffles christmas morning. Its a tradition. But I will still track it. Some of my family gets annoyed when I pull out my phone or computer to enter so I may try and hide it more...
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Old 12-12-2009, 01:12 PM   #5  
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I plan on losing as well. and I'm in kind of the same situation you are... no more gym until I start school again in January. But I bought a $9 workout DVD on walmart.com (Jillian Michaels 30 day shred) and will be doing that as much as I can and trying my best to stay on plan. I'm gonna have what I want on Christmas, just like I did on Thanksgiving. I think if we work really hard to control portion sizes then we wont feel deprived and we wont overeat.

Good luck!! You CAN get through it & lose if you put your mind to it! :]

Last edited by kuhrisuh; 12-12-2009 at 01:14 PM.
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Old 12-12-2009, 01:32 PM   #6  
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Hey,

I definitely plan on losing!!! I have 3 and a bit weeks until the new year and I'm going to stay on plan. I've allowed myself 3 days to eat more than usual but I'm not going to go overboard and get to that stage where I can't move because I've eaten so much!!! But I won't deprive myself to the extent that I'll go and binge... you know what I mean???

Good luck over the holidays, just think how good it will feel to know you've lost weight during the one time of the year you didn't expect to
xx
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Old 12-12-2009, 03:02 PM   #7  
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I plan on losing! Or, rather, I plan to try to lose. Weight loss is a fickle beast at it's best.

I'm a bit of a loner, so I don't really get invited to holiday parties. Thus, Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two days I really get faced with holiday overeating. What I tend to do is, I let myself have whatever I want, as much as I want but- here's the catch: I can only have one plate. That way, I'm satisfied physically and mentally, but I keep my over eating to a minimum. And I bring knitting with me so I don't go really overboard with desserts (After dinner is put away, we set up the dining room table as a buffet, and then sit around it with coffee and tea, and pig out some more. Knitting keeps my hands busy so I don't mindless reach for another cookie or brownie or raspberry square or whatever.)

My method might not be the best idea ever, but it works for me. I find that dieting is a "Your mileage may vary" sort of thing.
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Old 12-12-2009, 03:49 PM   #8  
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It seems like sometimes people graze their way from Thanksgiving to New Years and as if the holidays were a 5 week long gustatory celebration. I prefer to think of it as two celebratory meals within that time frame and the rest of the time there isn't a good excuse to go hog wild. There is no reason you can't lose weight during the holidays unless you choose not to!
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Old 12-12-2009, 05:19 PM   #9  
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I like staying on plan all the time. I just feel better when I do. I feel healthier and in control of my life.

As you pointed out, there's very little (if any) difference between "maintaining" and "losing". They both involve the same behaviors.

So, go ahead and lose! Think of how great you'll feel in Jan.

Even if you don't lose as much as you'd like, this will be a great learning experience - you'll find out what works best and what doesn't when you're visiting family, and you can use that information for the future.

Can you substitute walking for your usual workouts? Or running?
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Old 12-12-2009, 11:20 PM   #10  
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There's nothing on earth I want more than to finish losing all this excess weight. I'm staying on plan because I WANT to and I don't feel sad or deprived, I feel joyful.
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Old 12-12-2009, 11:40 PM   #11  
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Peaches- I probably can do that. It's just so much more of a struggle MENTALLY when I go home to stay on track. My family loves to sit around the table and snack while talking or playing board games. I can certainly go out and do something active while at home, it's just hard to schedule holiday traditions around my NEED to continue on my journey...
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Old 12-13-2009, 09:21 AM   #12  
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Well, I think we all have to establish new traditions as we go along this path.

When I was first losing weight, I used to dread family get togethers, especially at my husband's parents' house. Everyone would do what you describe, just sit around after dinner, talking or playing games. Some would take a nap!

One Thanksgiving, I decided to take a long walk after dinner. Everyone gave me strange looks after I changed into my sweats and athletic shoes. My DH is from a small town with a lot of history. I set out walking and ended up at an old cemetery. I walked around and read the tombstones (you can learn a lot about people from those) and it was very interesting. It was a beautiful crisp day. That walk remains a bright spot in my memory.

From then on, whenever we stayed with his parents, I took long walks around their town, looking at churches, historic homes, etc. It was something I looked forward to. They've since moved, but I've tried to apply that principle in other settings.

The point is, we can adapt, and we can find ways to accomplish what we want in any surroundings.
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Old 12-13-2009, 10:31 AM   #13  
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I PLAN on losing, and I'm determined like fire to succeed. I am not one of those who waits until the New Year to make a goal. My goal is to be 16?.? by New Years.

So for all of us going in LOSERS...let's do it. We are not going to be dictated to by our stomachs OR are minds...we CAN do this.

My plan. Portion control. Only if i really like something, can I have another SMALL portion. don't go to any Christmas anything hungry. Hone in on the healthier food available. If after the 2nd small portion of NOT healthy food...I still want seconds...then it's the healthy food.

I sat by a woman last night..that ANNOYED the pee out of me. Stuck up. Skinny...she was eating large portions, while I was picking at my food...she actually commented that she needed to get up and let the food "fall down my leg". implying..she wouldn't gain weight...no matter what she ate. Ugh.

But it is all about attitude though. Think positive...and competitive.
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Old 12-13-2009, 11:01 AM   #14  
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I am totally committed to staying "on plan" again this year. Matter of fact I'm working on getting a few pounds below my weight listed so that I can indulge a little bit on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (only!). Planning ahead kept me right on track at Thanksgiving, and I'm confident it will benefit me for Christmas. My plan is to begin the New Year at my goal weight.

Looking back at my food/weight journal, last year when I was actively losing, (I'm in maintaince now), I lost exactly 10 pounds from December 1st to January 1st. So it is entirely possible to lose weight during the holidays! You can do it! The feeling of control and good health is the best gift you can EVER get. It's better than diamonds...seriously!
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Old 12-13-2009, 11:38 AM   #15  
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I absolutely plan on losing! Or, to be specific, I plan on exercising between an hour and two hours every day and eating delicious, home-cooked, healthy meals... and sleeping well... and becoming as healthy as I can. Think about it this way -- if you come back to college 8 lbs lighter, more toned and healthy, everyone will notice and be impressed That's my motivation, anyway...
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